Golf-driving practice devices



NOV. 22, 1960 BQRG 2,961,241

7 GOLF-DRIVING PRACTICE DEVICES I Filed Oct. 1, 1958 INVENTOR [0 44? H oea BY ,2 Z

FIG. 2

United States Patent GOLF-DRIVING PRACTICE DEVICES Edgar H. Borg, 36-19 37th St., Long Island City, N.Y.

Filed Oct. 1, 1958, Ser. No. 764,552

'3 Claims. (Cl. 273-198) This invention relates to devices useful for practicing golf drives.

The main object of the invention is the provision of a new and improved practice golf-driving device that can be very easily used in a limited area such as, for example, a back yard, a lawn or an unpaved driveway, as well as in other restricted or larger areas which are unsuitable for unrestrained golf ball flight.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a portable practice golf-driving device which may be taken apart and stored in, for example, the glove compartment of an automobile.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a new and improved portable golf-driving device for prac tice purposes, which does not present a safety hazard by the use of a genuine golf ball in a limited area but rather utilizes a hollow plastic ball that simulates the actual impact of a real ball without the accompanying safety hazard.

A still further object of the invention is a provision for showing the flight of the ball so that the golfer may correct himself as necessary to produce a swing resulting in a suitable flight path.

The above broad as well as additional and more specific objects will be clarified in the following description wherein reference numerals refer to like-numbered parts in the accompanying drawing. It is to be noted that the drawing is intended solely for the purpose of illustration and that it is therefore neither deisred nor intended to limit the invention necessarily to any or all of the exact details of construction shown or described except insofar as they may be deemed essential to the invention.

Referring briefly to the drawing, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a golf drive practicing device illustrating an emobidment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of one end of the base or anchor of the device.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the hook for releasably securing one end of a tether to the base or anchor.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged equatorial sectional view through the practice golf ball and shows the other end of the tether secured thereto by means of a similar hook.

Fig. 6 is an elevational view of a modified form of the base or anchor.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral 10 indicates one form of the base or anchor of the device, wihch is of sufiiciently heavy weight and is preferably made of a suitable metal. The anchor 10 is preferably in the form of a somewhat elongated block, rectangular in cross-section, and has the upper ends thereof provided with overhanging edges or eaves 11 each of which has a hole 12 therethrough. Pegs 13 which may be integral with the block, as is the case illustrated, or which may be screw-threaded thereinto, not shown, are preferably provided in order to insure greater stability to the anchor, when the latter is mounted on the ground.

A hole or recess 15 is provided in one of the side walls 14 of the anchor and extends transversely a distance into the block. A normally straight rod 16 of resilient or flexible material such as, for example, a flexible plastic, is registrable in the hole 15 and adapted to be retained frictionally therein. However, if desired, both the hole and the rod may be provided with screw threads, not shown, so that the rod mtay be screwed into the anchor. On its outer end the rod is provided with an upward extension 17 which is made in simulation of a golf tee.

A tether 18 is provided, and it may be made of any suitable material, elastic or inelastic. On each end of the tether a flexible, preferably plastic, hook or split ring 19 having opposed jaws 20, is secured. Owing to the resiliency of the material of the book, one jaw 2% may be readily displaced out of the plane of the other jaw to widen the opening between the jaws, and thus the hook or ring may be readily engaged in, or disengaged from, the hole 12 of the anchor, as shown in Fig. l. The hook 19 on the other end of the tether is secured to an imitation or practice golf ball 22 having spaced holes 21 through the hollow shell thereof. By similarly manipulating the hook 19 on this other end of the tether its jaws '29 are readily entered into two adjacent holes 21 to engage the portion 23 of the shell therebetween.

The eaves 11 on the anchor 10, besides having the holes 12 therein, serve to facilitate handling of the anchor in picking it up or setting it on the ground. The tether 18 may be secured at one end to either of the end holes 12 of the anchor. The device is used as illustrated in Fig. l, the rod 16 being normally positioned as shown in full lines. A player set for practice drives places the anchor 10 on the ground wherever he finds it suitable and convenient. The most appropriate place for the player to stand is in the quadrant defined by mutually right-angle lines, not shown, drawn longitudinally through the anchor 10 and the rod 16. When he strikes the ball it will travel generally in the direction shown in Fig. 1 and the rod 16 will tend to swing in a forward direction into, for example, the position shown in broken lines. As the ball moves in its flight the tether will tauten until the ball is brought to a stop and falls to the ground.

In Fig. 6 a modified form of anchor is shown at 10a and is made in the form of a peg adapted to be stuck in the ground. It has an eyelet 24 adapted to receive one hook 19 of the tether 18, and is also provided with a hole or recess 15a similar to the hole or recess 15, adapted to receive the rod 16.

When it is desired to practice fairway shots, the ball may be set on the ground instead of on the tee 17.

From the above it is apparent that a simple, practical and inexpensive portable practice golf-driving device has been disclosed, which will aid players in checking and improving their form and skill.

Obviously, modifications in form or structure may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

The invention having thus been described, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is as follows:

1. A device of the class described comprising a normally upright anchor including opposed side walls, opposed end walls, and a top wall, said anchor having eaves extending from the ends of the top wall over said end walls, each of said eaves having a hole therethrough, the anchor having a hole therein extending transversely through one of said side Walls, a detachable flexible rod normally having one end registering in said last-named hole and having the other end shaped into a simulated named holes, a simulated hollow golf ballhaving spacedholes therein, the tether, having releasabletmeans on the.

other end thereof forjengaging the ball.'between the spaced holes thereof.

2. A device, according to claim 1, said first-namedre leasablemeans comprising a split-ring of resilient material, the split in the ring forming opposed resilient jaws normally lying in a common plane and being separable topermit one ofthe-jaws to be .passed through, one of said first-named holes.

3. A-deviceaccording to'claim 1, said last-named-re to permit insertion of the jayjvs into mutually adjacent holes of the holes in the ball.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 883,058 Sprague Mar. 24, 1908 1,504,752 Green Aug. .12, 1924 1,746,600 Merlo Feb. 11, 1930 2,155,803 Rider Apr. 25, 1939 2,823,038 White Feb. 11, 1958 2,862,712 Delia et-al. Dec; 2, 1958 2,884,250 Patterson Apr. 28, 1959 2,888,266 Melin May 26, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 346.622 Great Britain AD, 1931 

